A beignet is a piece of yeasted dough that is deep-fried until golden and dusted generously with powdered sugar. The name is French for "fritter," and the pastry traces back to French frying traditions carried to Louisiana by French colonists; it became a defining treat of New Orleans and Creole cuisine, most famously served at the historic Café du Monde in the French Quarter.
Traditionally cut into squares or rectangles before frying, beignets are served warm, often alongside chicory-laced coffee. Beyond the classic sugared version, they can be filled with sweet fillings like fruit preserves or chocolate, or made savory with fillings such as seafood.
Similar fried, sugar-dusted doughs exist elsewhere under different names -- buñuelos in Spain and Latin America, frittelle in Italy -- but these are distinct regional pastries rather than variants of the beignet itself.